Postgraduate Diploma in Public Health

Key facts

Improve the nation’s health and your career prospects

Get a high-quality, comprehensive education in public health to boost your career while improving the health of New Zealanders.

What is it like?

The Postgraduate Diploma in Public Health will give you leading-edge expertise in many different subjects such as epidemiology and biostatistics, Maori and Pacific health, health economics, occupational health, environmental health, programme evaluation, health inequalities and health policy.

Transfer your learning to your workplace

Massey’s Postgraduate Diploma in Public Health emphasises applied research and practical experience. You will be able to apply knowledge gained through coursework to projects that reflect your work and interests.

Get great work skills

With the Postgraduate Diploma in Public Health, you will understand the core functions of public health: health promotion, disease prevention, disease surveillance and monitoring, health assessment and health protection.

You will also be able to identify and critically analyse public health problems and solutions from a range of perspectives including biological, environmental, behavioural, social and cultural determinants as well as from a systems perspective. These skills will be invaluable in the workplace.

Learn from those practising in the field

You will benefit from our course lecturers’ active engagement in public health research, as well as learning from guest speakers from the Ministry of Health, District Health Boards, other research institutions, health providers and community organisations.

This breadth of knowledge and experience will give you a real-world view of the current state of knowledge in public health and practical know-how with immediate application in your workplace.

Study to suit your lifestyle

You can study in a way that best suits you: block or distance courses, full time or part time. Study can be tailored specifically for your needs.

If you are a health professional, policy maker, community worker or researcher, you will benefit from unique shared learning opportunities with others from diverse backgrounds in the health sector, including the environment, occupational safety and health, and social services.

Follow your research passions

At Massey, we embrace high-quality research in exciting areas including the effects of noise on health, waterway health, rainwater harvesting, drug delivery systems, the effects of resistance training, novel gene identification and science communication.

Graduates of the PGDipPH can do further study for a Master of Public Health. Many of our graduates successfully achieve an academic career in teaching and research.

A good fit if you:

Already work in public health - public or private sector - and want to further your career

Are looking for professional development to apply to your current environment

Have an interest in and/or a demonstrated commitment to public health

Grace Chen

PhD student

“You get enormous support from everybody, every day…”

I come from Beijing where I originally graduated in Engineering Management and Accountancy. I completed my Postgraduate Diploma with Distinction in Public Health at Massey University in 2012. It was challenging but it was really exciting to explore new concepts and ideas.

Since then, I have worked as a Research Assistant at the Centre for Public Health Research (CPHR) at Massey University in Wellington. I am responsible for the Motor Neurone Disease research project. I am doing my PhD investigating the relationship between Motor Neurone Disease and a range of known and suspected occupational and environmental exposures. I also work as a tutor for the World Bank Master of Public Health courses.

Massey University is like a big family. You get enormous support from everybody, every day. I enjoy my studying and working life at Massey University very much. The best part is the communication between students, tutors and lecturers.

My advice for landing a great job? Obtain high marks and make contact widely.

Careers

There are many employment opportunities that public health training can give both in the health sector and wider government and community sectors. These include: